1 Year WITHOUT Sugar
Why I Decided to Take on a Year Without Sugar:
In 2018-2019, I challenged myself to not shop for clothing for an entire year. I had recently taken on higher student loan payments, and I needed to find some extra money. It also felt like an interesting experiment to see how I would adjust. When the year came to a close, I decided to take on something even more serious—something that has long held a controlling influence over my life.
SUGAR.
Sugar has been a relentless force in my life. My relationship with it has always been problematic—once I start, I can’t stop. Until tomorrow... maybe. Once sugar enters my system, my entire mindset spirals out of control, leading to that familiar, destructive thought: "I've already messed up today; might as well eat whatever I want and start over tomorrow." No matter how "healthy" I try to be, my relationship with sugar has always been corrupt, tied to the indulgent treats it fills.
Confessions:
Handfuls of office candy.
An entire sheet of brownies.
Half-gallons of ice cream. Or two pints because sometimes you can’t decide between the two Ben & Jerry’s flavors.
Eating only sugary treats for an entire day.
Hiding the massive quantities of candy I consumed in one day.
Lying to people after eating something we were supposed to share.
Eating an entire cake. Often.
More than three donuts, followed by ice cream.
Treating a box, bag, or sheet as the serving size.
Eating an entire bag of Dove chocolates throughout a day.
Putting back the single-serving bag of M&M’s and getting the big bag on a road trip.
Devouring caramel corn—why is it so deliciously snackable?
Cookies. All of them. There are so many ways to eat an Oreo, and you have plenty of chances to perfect the method.
I’ve even given food to homeless people just so I wouldn’t eat any more of it myself. And if I was sick, sometimes I’d just eat sugar because I already felt horrible—might as well add to it.
There are more confessions, but these are the ones I can remember.
I wanted to know what was possible for me on the other side of this “psychological” control. So, from Thanksgiving 2019 to Thanksgiving 2020, I committed to the following "rules”:
1 Year of No Sugar Rules:
Fruit is fabulous!
No sugar (or other names for it) in the first 5 ingredients of foods.
It is okay to cook with honey, agave, etc.
Syrup on pancakes is okay 1 time per week.
Preworkout is allowed 1x per day
Limit artificial sweeteners and sugar drinks to mixers when out with friends or at an event.
My Thoughts After the First 60 Days:
Unfortunately, the cravings are still there. I anticipate they always will be, as sugar is my trigger food. When I’m stressed, tired, or hungry, sugar is what I crave. Every time I go to the grocery store, my mouth waters as I think about all the things I want to buy. Overall, it’s been relatively easy, though. I have the conviction to just say no, and it’s been a good test for me to know that it’s possible to live like this.
My skin is clearer, and I have fewer stomach aches (probably because I’m not bingeing on bags of candy). I’ve likely saved a lot of money, though I haven’t calculated the exact amount yet. I haven’t lost a tremendous amount of weight because I track macros and used to work sugar into my program. However, I’m spending more time in the grocery store, scrutinizing ingredient lists due to my other health restrictions, and I’m still surprised to find sugar in everything—tomato sauce? Really?
What I Wasn’t Expecting:
I’m more vulnerable. I’m more aware. I’m taking bigger risks. I’m noticing how my actions affect others. I’m working on myself and healing the hole in my heart that can’t just be fixed by eating.
AFTER 100+ DAYS
Hi, I’m Raschel, and I’m a sugar addict.
I didn’t realize how bad it was until sugar was no longer in my life. I had no idea how much time and mental energy was consumed by thinking about sugar, eating it, and then struggling to control it.
I didn’t make it the entire year, but this whole experiment has been about observing my relationship with this "drug." In the first week of the COVID-19 lockdown, I sat in my car and consumed a large bag of caramel corn. This started a spiral. That same day, I also ate a bag of sweet potato chips. I didn’t do too badly with food for the rest of the day, but my mental state was way off. I was craving, searching, and caught in a sugar spiral. To say the least, nothing has changed even after all this time without my drug of choice. It took me a solid 4-5 days to finally swing out of that low.
My coach recommended the book Bright Line Eating, which introduced me to a whole new vocabulary to describe the experiences I have when I consume sugar, and the hours and days afterward.
One interesting thing I’ve experienced while being without sugar is, for the first time in my life, I feel like I could get down to a goal weight and stay there, instead of the constant swings I’ve "dealt" with most of my life. That freedom—even if it’s just in my mind—is worth continuing this experiment.
